


reconvergence

by emrys (livingshitpost)



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Brothers, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 Lives, Family Reunions, Gen, Injury Recovery, Medical, Medical Jargon, No Incest, Recovery, Reunions, Some Plot, Starvation, Two Shot, bc i constantly do unnecessary amnts of research when i write lmaO, if any cl0necest shippers even look at this i'll break ur arms, it's jst mentioned tho, there was gonna be more of this buuuuut i'm lazy dkfnlskjdj, whoops !, you've heard of "thts not how th force works" get ready fr "thts not how stimpaks work"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22774276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livingshitpost/pseuds/emrys
Summary: reconvergence (n); to meet again.Echo begins his recovery. His brother will always be there.
Relationships: CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555
Comments: 8
Kudos: 91





	reconvergence

It isn’t until the adrenaline rush of the mission has passed that Echo truly feels the extent of what he’s been through.

He stands tall to receive his medal. General Skywalker sticks it to his breastplate, grinning at him, and pride wells up in his chest.

Pride, and something he can’t quite place.

The room wavers around him. His brothers sound far away. He nearly loses his balance, reaching for Rex’s shoulder with his good hand.

“You alright?” The captain asks him.

Echo nods, too quickly. He shuts his eyes as his brain rattles in his skull. “‘M fine,” he says. His voice is weak.

Rex puts a hand on his back. “You don’t look fine,” he argues. “You should go to medical.”

“I said I’m fine,” Echo snaps, tossing a glare at the other man.

Rex sighs, scowling, as his other hand drifts up to his brother’s chest to support his weight. “And _I_ said you should go to medical.” His tone is authoritative. Firm. It isn’t a suggestion. “Come on.”

Echo stumbles alongside his brother, still not completely accustomed to his cybernetic legs. Rex’s words are muffled. It feels like his head is underwater. He’s quickly sat down, his breathing heavy and labored. Kix removes his armor and strips off his blacks. He reaches for Rex’s hand as he starts to pull away.

“Stay,” he says between gasping, gulping breaths. His grip is weak. “Please.”

Rex squeezes his hand. “Course, vod. I’m not going anywhere.”

He and Kix help their brother lie down against the cot. Kix jabs a needle into the crook of his elbow and hooks him up to a saline drip.

“What were you thinking, Rex?” Kix chastises as he checks Echo’s vitals. “He never should’ve left the medbay. Now he’s malnourished _and_ dehydrated.”

“It was his plan,” Rex retorts softly. “And we couldn’t possibly have done it without him.”

Kix sighs. “I know. But it was still reckless.”

“You think I don’t know that? I was worried sick about him the whole time we were up there. I never would have forgiven myself if I got him killed.”

Echo tries to squeeze Rex’s hand, though it’s really more of a twitch of the fingers. “‘S okay,” he rasps. “‘S not your fault.”

Rex smooths a hand over Echo’s shaved head. “Save your strength,” he orders.

“You’re just sayin’ that t’ shut me up.” Echo’s laugh, though weak, is bright. It brings some of the sparkle back to his dull brown eyes.

“And what are you gonna do about it?”

“Could get up and kick your ass.”

“Absolutely not,” Kix interjects. He places a breathing mask over Echo’s nose and mouth, then straps it to his head. “Deep breaths, now. Come on.”

Echo does as he’s told. His breaths remain shaky, but slow down a bit, as does the beeping of the machine beside him.

“You’re not gonna be going on any more missions for a while,” murmurs Kix. “Not because you’d be a liability — although, technically speaking, you would be.”

Echo scowls at him.

“It’s to keep you safe,” Kix reasons. “Keep you _alive_.” He pulls up Echo’s record on his datapad. “And you’re gonna be using a cane, too.”

“What? Even 99 didn’t use a cane!”

“99 _did_ use a cane, actually. We just didn't know him at the time. And even if he didn't, he also didn’t spend almost a full standard cycle wasting away in a stasis tank. If I find out you’re not using it, I’ll have no choice to put you in a hoverchair. Or worse — _bedrest_. Understood?”

Echo grumbles. “Fine.”

“Good man.” Kix pats his knee without looking up. He pauses as his hand finds hard durasteel, and something coils in his gut. “Sorry.”

Echo tries not to grimace, but ultimately fails. “‘S alright.” He tenses a bit as Kix squeezes his left shoulder. He reaches up, trying to keep his brother’s warm hand on him, but instead chases him off with his socket arm. He bites his lip. He keeps quiet.

“Kix, how long’ll he need the cane for?”

“Hard to say. Could be a couple weeks. Could be a couple cycles. There’s a lot of factors that go into it. Primarily his occupational therapy, which I’ll be facilitating, so he better not even _think_ about skipping out on it.”

“Sounds like a bit much.”

“It’s standard procedure for troopers with cybernetics, actually. In addition, you’ll be sticking to a strictly regimented meal plan to prevent refeeding syndrome.”

“Alright, that’s just excessive.”

“Oh, so you want hypophosphatemia? How about hypomagnesia? Does hypokalemia sound fun? Hypocalcemia? Hyperglycemia? Ketoacidosis?” Kix notices that his voice is shaking ever so slightly. He takes a deep breath to steady himself. “Vod, any one of those could kriffing _kill_ you. I’d rather it not come to that. We just got you back home.”

Echo stares at his brother, something approaching guilt in his eyes. He looks down. “Right. Got it.”

“Thank you.” Kix hesitates a bit this time as he touches Echo’s shoulder. “Is this-?”

“It’s fine,” Echo assures him. He forces himself to relax. “More than fine. I’ve missed you laserbrains; more than you know.” His vision blurs. “I’ve missed _this_.”

Rex is the first to wrap his arms around Echo’s neck. “We missed you too.”

Echo hugs him back, though his grip remains loose. He laughs. “Fives is gonna have a karking conniption when he sees me,” he says softly. “Look at me; I’m as pale as General Skywalker.”

Kix smiles and grips Echo’s shoulders. “He’s on a mission right now,” Kix explains. “But you’re not gonna be the only one with stories to tell. He’s gotten up to some crazy stuff while you were gone.”

“He’s alive?”

“Yeah, buddy. He’s still kicking; don’t worry.”

Echo laughs. “Good thing I’m so karked up, or I’d be crying.”

Rex pulls away to smack him on the arm.

“Speaking of.” Kix crosses the room and grabs a cup and a gallon bottle of clear, blue-tinted liquid. He checks the label and pours a serving for his brother. “You should be drinking this. One of these every few hours. It’ll help get your strength back up quicker.”

Echo takes the cup in his good hand, using his socket arm to help steady it in his grip, and drinks about half of it. “What is this?” He asks.

“Water.” Kix smirks.

“No. You’re kidding. What’s in it, smartass?”

“The basics. Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphates-“

“It tastes like jogan.”

“That’s because there’s flavoring in it, halfwit.”

“Well how was I supposed to know it’s not diluted jogan juice?”

“Because jogan juice is purple?”

“Blue’s close enough.”

“Just finish your drink.”

* * *

Fives doesn’t return for another three days, but he makes his presence known by slamming into his brother from behind and pulling him into the air.

“Kriffing stars, you’re alive!” Fives’ breastplate presses the spines on Echo’s back uncomfortably into his spine. He buries his face in the crook of his neck as he sets him down. “I thought we lost you.”

Echo laughs. He reaches up to hold Fives’ arm with his good hand and hug it as best as he can. “I know, vod. I’m here.”

“If you weren’t in such awful condition, I’d punch you right in the throat.” Fives laughs despite himself. He holds his brother at arms length and allows him to turn. “You look terrible.”

“Yeah; standard cycle in a stasis tank’ll do that.” Echo knocks their foreheads together. “Missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Fives wipes the tears from his eyes. “Glad to see you alive. Even if it’s-“

“Like this. Yeah, I know.”

“It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“Not so much now.” Echo leans against his brother and his cane. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me? Echo, we thought you _died_.” He lowers his voice. “It doesn’t feel real. Part of me’s scared this is just another dream.”

“It’s not. I’m here. I’m really here.” He says it to ground Fives as much as himself. “Come on. Let’s get you down to the mess. You must be starving.”

“Anything’s better than ration packs.”

Fives, still fit, tries to walk more slowly for Echo to keep up. If Echo notices, he keeps his mouth shut, hobbling along with labored breaths by the time they reach the commissary.

“Sit tight,” Fives says. “I’ll get us some grub.”

Echo just shakes his head. “Got a strict meal plan. Five a day. Kix’ll have my head if I don’t stick to it.”

“Even just once?”

“Yup. And he’s got the droid behind the counter in on it.” He chuckles. “I catch it watching me sometimes.”

“Jeez. That’s not creepy.”

“You said it; not me.” He and Fives join the line. Fives gets the day’s standard lunch: a nuna sandwich with a banana and a small chocolate muffin. He also carries Echo’s meal: a bowl of bone broth with rice, and a quarter-serving of the jogan-flavored nutrient water.

Fives strategically sits so that Echo is blocked from the droid’s view. “You want some of mine?” He asks quietly.

Echo glances up from his soup. “I can’t.”

“Come on, Echo. You deserve it.” He passes his brother a tiny piece of his muffin. “Have some real food.”

Echo sighs. “You’re not gonna let up until I eat some of that muffin, are you?”

“You _love_ chocolate.”

“We _all_ love chocolate, Fives. _Jango Fett_ loved chocolate, and he only loved his kid and his ship.”

“Well, yeah. But remember when we used to take turns sneaking into the kitchens and trying to raid the supply when we were cadets?”

Echo chuckles at the memory. “Hevy always got caught,” he says. He sets down his spoon and quickly pops the pastry piece into his mouth. Stars, it’s been a long time since he’s had chocolate. It’s sweet, and it’s still warm. It tastes like better days. “Thanks.”

Fives waves a hand dismissively. “So, uh.” He takes a bite of his sandwich as he thinks. “Rex said you were in pretty bad shape when they first brought you back.”

“I’m still in bad shape,” Echo jokes. But Fives doesn’t smile.

“Did they put you under?”

“Yeah; once. Yesterday. I had a, uh . . .” He clears his throat. “Blockage.”

Fives quirks an eyebrow.

“An intestinal blockage,” Echo elaborates.

“Ah.” Fives can’t help but smile a bit. He’s only twelve, after all. “And, do you know if they, uh.” He points to the thin scar hidden under his thick black hair on the right side of his head.

Echo absently reaches up to feel for a matching scar. His eyes widen slightly when he finds it. “What’d they do?”

“Turns out we all had control chips put in our heads before we were even born.” He sighs. “Tup’s malfunctioned. Turns out he had a tumor growing around it. He killed a Jedi — Tiplar. There was a whole conspiracy, and I took mine out, got sent to Coruscant, almost got killed — but I _didn’t_ — and now every — oh, don’t gimme that look. I’m fine, aren’t I? — Anyway, every clone’s chip has been removed. A few of the 212th are working on getting our independence now.” He laughs. “We get _paid_. Can you believe that?”

Echo furrows his brow. “Are we still . . . making more of us?”

“Not now. The clones that are already growing aren’t gonna be destroyed, but I haven’t heard anything about continuing production. A lot of us are saying it’d be unfair to keep perpetuating the cycle. Especially since we age twice as fast.”

“And you?”

Fives draws his mouth into a thin line. “I just wish we hadn’t been bred for war. It’s all we’ve ever known, but I’m not sure that makes it right.”

He takes another few bites of his sandwich.

“But it’d be hard for us to find other jobs,” he reasons eventually. “This is our best option. At least for now.”

“You don’t wanna fight,” Echo murmurs.

“I don’t wanna die,” Fives corrects him. “But the Republic needs us. And, honestly, we need it.” Fives finishes his sandwich and starts to unpeel his banana. He puts a piece of it on Echo’s tray. “D’you know what I’m saying?”

“Yeah.” Echo quickly eats the banana piece before going back to his soup. “I don’t wanna die either.”

Fives almost laughs. “None of us do, vod.”

There’s a pause; both of them clearly thinking as they eat. Fives is the one to break the silence.

“I’m not trying to convince you to stay,” he says softly. “You could get outta here. Have a life. A _real_ life.”

“And leave my brothers behind?” Echo scoffs. “Leave _you_ behind?” He eats another spoonful of his soup. “No way. Gonna take a lot more than this-“ he holds up the stump of his right arm, the neuron jack covered by a protective casing “-to get me outta here without you.”

Fives raises one eyebrow and smirks, peeking under the table at his prosthetic legs.

“Shut up,” Echo laughs, kicking his brother in the shin.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You were thinking it. Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes. Besides; General Skywalker still has my arm. I’ve gotta get that back, at least.”

Fives rolls his eyes. “What’s he doing with it?”

“He’s trying to combine the thing the Seppies gave me with a real hand. Last I saw, the socket comes outta the wrist, I think? It looks pretty cool, too.”

“Hey, that’s great. You’ll be back up to two hands like the rest of us _and_ you’ll still be able to interface with all kinds of stuff.”

“Yeah. I just hope it doesn’t take too long to get the hang of the fingers again. I can’t stand not being able to do anything for myself anymore.”

Fives considers that for a moment. “He’s got the same thing,” he offers. “And he’s a karking _Jedi Knight_. Lightsaber and everything.”

“Yeah. He absolutely lit up when I told him he could tinker around with it.” Echo chuckles. “Took his glove off. Said he knows what it’s like. Told me to come to him if my legs started acting up, or anything. Or if I just needed someone to talk to about it.”

Fives smiles. “He and Rex were the ones who were there for me as soon as we left the Citadel,” he murmurs. “He’s a good man. You can trust him.”

“I know.” Echo glances up as someone approaches him from the left. “Hey, Kix.”

“Stick to the plan,” Kix says sternly.

“Wh- seriously? It was two bites!”

“You’re gonna throw off your metabolism.”

“Who even ratted me out? I’ll bet it was Jesse. I’m gonna kick his ass.”

Kix sighs and puts a firm hand on Echo’s shoulder to keep him from standing up. “Follow your meal plan, to the _letter_ , and I’ll add in some desserts for you.”

“About karkin’ time.” Echo picks up his bowl and drinks the remainder of the broth, then downs his nutrient water like a shot. “Guess it’s time for OT?”

“OT?”

“Occupational therapy,” Kix clarifies.

“You can come watch, if you want. I fall over sometimes. It’s pretty funny.”

“It’s not that funny.”

“You’re allowed to be wrong, Kixie.”

“You fractured a rib!”

“You did _what_?”

“Great; now Fives is mad at me. And, Fives, it was _so_ tiny. Barely even there. I took a stim and now I’m all patched up. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not mad, Echo. I’m just-“ Fives sighs. “You’re the careful one. You used to memorize the manuals as a _hobby_ , for crying out loud! I mean . . .” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “We just got you back. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“You can’t protect me from everything, Fives. And I don’t want you to. I don’t need that from you. I can handle myself, alright? I want you to be there _with_ me. Not _for_ me.”

Fives sighs. He stands, taking both of their empty trays. “Gimme a second to take care of these,” he says. “Not even a minute.”

Echo knows his brother well enough to recognize the _yes_ in his actions. He smiles. “You got it.”


End file.
